The Invitation in the Envelope
by OhMandy
Summary: Bones recieves an unexpected request.
1. Chapter 1

Temperance sat, focused on the looming stack of reports that had occupied her attention and desk for the better part of the day. Her concentration was finally broken by the rapping of knuckles on her door. Hesitantly she lifted her eyes from the paper in front of her to see Booth enter the office, quickly crossing the room with confidence despite the fact she hadn't yet acknowledged his presence at the door, let alone granted him permission to enter.

"I have here some mail for one Doctor Temperance Brennan." He announced in what was, even for him, an overly showy manner.

Puzzlement playing across her features Brennan rose from her chair and circumnavigated her desk to stand with him.

"That's odd. Normally all of my professional correspondence reaches me through the Jeffersonian's official channels."

"Mmm, well this is _much_ more exciting than some stuffy professor's request for a secondary opinion on some zillion year old case."

He could see in her face that she was deciding which part of his statement to correct first, he took advantage of her hesitation and pressed on.

"This is message is from a particularly special gentleman caller…"

With a smile he handed her the small white envelope he'd produced from his jacket pocket. She took it from his hand skeptically. Turning it over in her hands she noted the uneven scrawl forming the name "Tempe" across the back.

"You know Booth, your penmanship could really use some serious work."

He made a face at her.

"Just open it…" He said, amused exasperation creeping into his voice.

Taking his advice she tore back the top of the envelope and let her eyes fall across the colourful images adorning the cover of the small card. Booth backed away and let himself fall into her couch, watching her with an amused glint in his dark eyes.

She reread the card a few times and finally looked back up at him.

"What is this?"

Booth grinned. "Oh c'mon Bones… it's an invitation to Parker's birthday party."

She hesitated for a brief moment.

"…and it's for me?" There was a hint of some emotion Booth didn't quite understand buried in the question.

"That's what the envelope says…"

She bit her lip and let her gaze fall to the paper in her hand again. Birthday parties weren't necessarily an event that Temperance had a lot of experience with. Even when she had been a child it had been a rare occurrence for her to receive an invitation. Between her solitary nature and, later, the effects of moving from home to home in the foster care system she hadn't seemed to warrant most other children's consideration.

Booth felt the shift in mood, his smile faltered and he misinterpreted her silence.

"Bones," he broke the silence awkwardly. "It's just an invitation, not an order. I understand if you don't want to come…and I warned Parker that you're busy a lot, it's not going to hurt his feelings or anything….I-" He shifted in his seat, leaning closer to his partner.  
"No Booth" she cut through his ramble before he could apologize. "It's just that …is this not the sort of event a child normally invites his peers to attend?"

"Actually, this is the sort of event that children invite the _people they like_ to attend." He corrected her with a grin. "You know…their friends…the important people."

Brennan finally allowed a small smile to reach her face; she brought her eyes up to meet his.

"I qualify as one of these important people?"

Booth felt a little tug at his heart as he realized how much his son's gesture meant to her.

"Of course you do. He loves seeing you. Plus you work in a museum….with dinosaurs, you make some killer mac 'n cheese, you teach him karate…" His smile got bigger with each item he added to the list. " "You know, you're _almost _the coolest person he knows…" His smile now held a hint of a challenge.

Brennan raised an eyebrow. "Almost?" She couldn't help but match the playful tone of Booth's voice.

"Well, I'm still the one that arrests the bad guys."

It was her turn to make a face at him.

"There you go Bones, keep that maturity level steady and you can be important _and _his peer." The beginnings of a charm smile danced across his face as he brought the conversation back on track.

She sighed, regaining her serious composure. "Parker actually wants me there?"

"Yes." Booth replied emphatically.

A look of concentration pinched her features. It was true, she _did _have a lot to do in the immediate future; with her publisher's deadline creeping up on her, plus the current work load she had precious little time to spend on frivolities. On the other hand she recognized how fragile the feelings of a child could be, and had no intention of hurting Parker's. She looked once more from the card to Booth. Finally she replied. "Okay, I'll come." The smile intensified when Brennan let out a small laugh as she read the back of the invitation. Next to the neatly typed 'R.S.V.P.' Parker had scribbled "WitH DaDDy".

"Great Bones! I'll let him know." Booth moved swiftly to his feet and headed towards the door, charm smile firmly in place.

"Hey, Booth…" She called out to him as he reached the threshold. He turned in reply and saw a glint in her eyes. A wicked smile curved the corners of her lips. He raised his eyebrows in expectation.

"I was just wondering…" The playful challenge was back in her voice as she regarded him. "Will there be clowns?"

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**A.N.: Well there we have it, the first part of what I hope to be my first multi-chapter story... of course, that could depend on the reviews and response I get. So please, please, PLEASE take a couple seconds to leave your thoughts in a review or email. I really want to know how I'm doing. Also, while I do have an idea of where I'm taking this story I am always open to suggestions, so don't hesitate to give them! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for your patience and well-wishing! As most of you who reviewed the first chapter know I was sick this week, and was really in no condition to write anything coherent. As you can tell, I'm feeling much better now and have chapter two ready for your reading (and reviewing!) pleasure.**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any characters etc associated with this franchise. **

**That being said, here we go:**

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The metropolis of D.C. flashed past the windows of the SUV as the partners drove back towards to the FBI's Hoover building. Brennan noticed Booth was driving a little slower than usual, but said nothing. Neither one was particularly excited for the paperwork awaiting them in his office. While it was always satisfying to close a case, the various reports and files that needed completion afterwards were always waiting. As a result, he took the two of them took a meandering route back to the Bureau, giving them time to unwind.

"Booth?"

"Hmm?" He mumbled, not removing his eyes from the road.

"What does Parker want for his Birthday?"

He looked over at her with a small smile. " Don't worry about it." He replied, dismissing the idea.

Brennan looked unconvinced. "Well, I know that it's customary for guests to-"

"Seriously Bones, he's going to be happy enough just that you're coming." A placating not edged into his voice.

"But I _want _to get him something. It's tradition in our society to mark such milestones with gifts; it also serves the dual purpose of responding to a host's generosity and invitation. I need to acknowledge the importance of the occasion and-"

"Whoa Bones…I kinda pegged that as a bit too materialistic for you." His eyes darted from the traffic to his passenger.

She began another speech on the role of consumerism and its entrenchment in society.

Once again, Booth cut her off before she could reach full lecture pace. "See? I knew it wasn't exactly your cup of tea."

Brennan looked at him, confused. "Why would a seven-year-old want a cup of tea for his birthday?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's just an expression…" he explained wearily; focus returning to the road ahead of them. He could see from the corner of his eye that she was still looking at his expectantly. He waited a couple moments, hoping she'd relent.

"Fine." He sighed finally. "I'm going shopping tonight; I want to pick up a few more things. Come to the mall with me and we'll find something."

Brennan smiled, content in her small victory, and started flipping thro ugh the case file on her lap, organizing her thoughts for the final report.

..o0O0o..

Later that evening the two were back in the SUV, this time pulling into a parking space at a large shopping mall. Booth shifted the vehicle into 'park' and they hopped out, heading towards the entrance.

"So Bones" He started as they waited for an opportunity to cross the busy intersection. "Where should we head first?"

"I'm not sure…this is sort of the reason I needed to come with you." Brennan reminded him.

They crossed the road quickly making it to the front walkway.

"I'm sure you have _some _idea floating around. I mean, he's liked the other gifts you've gotten him." He countered.

"Those ideas all came from specific conversations I had with Parker. He'd talk about trucks so I'd find him something with trucks…there was really nothing intuitive about it."

Booth smiled to himself. She was so oblivious to her own perceptiveness.

"Well, if it helps, last I heard this was going to be a pirate party."

She stopped and looked at him blankly. "I thought it was a birthday party."

Booth suppressed a chuckle. "A pirate-_themed_ birthday party, Bones" He clarified, shaking his head and restarting their progression up the walkway.

They reached the entrance and Booth held the door open for the two of them, guiding Brennan through with a familiar hand on the small of her back.

"Can we just start wherever you'd be starting normally?" She asked. Perhaps she'd find inspiration from his purchases.

"Alright." Booth agreed, unsure of how she'd respond to his first choice in stores.

He steered their path through the shoppers and up an escalator. A few minutes later they reached their destination.

"Here we are!" Booth announced with gusto, an excited smile across his face.

Brennan regarded the sign skeptically. "Video games?" She arched a critical eyebrow.

"Yes, video games, let's go." He grabbed her arm, pulling her through the doorway. The young woman working at the counter smiled in greeting. Booth made a beeline to a wall of game cases. He started picking them up and reading the back of the packages thoughtfully. He was clearly quite familiar with this store. Brennan stared at him once more.

"You realize that most mass-marketed video games have little to no educational value to them, right?"

"Hey, I thought you wanted something he'd _like._" Booth replied with a smirk, gaze returning to the box in his hands.

She studied her partner for a brief period, before a look of comprehension flashed in her eyes. "Wait! You're insinuating that a child wouldn't like something simply because it carries educational merit?"

Booth sighed and shook his head, this time his eyes didn't even look up from the case he was reading. "You know Bones; if you're going to be like this you could have just said you wanted to go to the bookstore…" Secretly he'd figured that's where they would have ended up when he'd initially asked. "But, you said you wanted to come to my stores, so now you're just going to have to suffer through it for a bit."

Brennan's jaw jutted out petulantly as she considered a rebuttal. Finally, she gave a resigned huff and stepped closer to the shelves with Booth. Slowly she began browsing the length of the wall looking for something that might interest Parker. Near the edge of the section she came across a rack that seemed to be devoted to the most popular sellers. She selected one from the row and turned it over to read the description.

"What about this one?" She returned to Booth's side, offering the game to him.

He looked quickly from the proffered game to the anthropologist. "Bones!" He exclaimed incredulously. "There is no way we're getting that for my six-year-old!"

She glanced at the game then back to her gaping partner. "Why not?" She asked simply.

His eyes grew wider. "Because it's about shooting people!"

"You shoot people all the time." She pointed out

"Not for _fun_!" The exasperation and discomfort in his voice edged on panic.

Brennan frowned a bit reconsidering the title in her hands.

"No." Booth restated sternly. He turned back to the shelf, muttering as he did so. "and it's not _all _the time…"

Defeated, Temperance walked back to return the case to its proper place on the shelf. She continued to look over the columns of games, but quickly decided this was a task best left to Booth. She made her way back to the agent, and saw he had several games picked out already. He added one final case to the stack and looked up.

"Check this one out" He said with a playful challenge in his tone, thrusting a game at her. "Chock-full of edutainment."

"Edutainment?" She took the box in question.

"Yeah, Bones. 'Edu': Educational. 'Taintment': Entertainment…it's like the stuff you like, except fun!" He grinned at her, making sure that she knew he was joking. "It's the best of both worlds!" When she didn't chastise him he continued on more seriously. "Anyways, I'm pretty well finished here. You ready to head out?"

Brennan nodded and walked with Booth to the counter where he paid for his purchases. The pair decided to wander towards the toy store next, with Temperance embracing the prospect of 'edutainment'.

They reached the store and Brennan began the process of sorting through the bright packages filling the shop. Seeley leaned against a pillar and watched her inspecting some play set with the same intensity he'd seen her use countless times. It was a deep and total concentration that he secretly loved to witness. Usually, however, it was reserved for troubling skeletal issues rather than toy trains as it was being applied now. He couldn't help but smile to himself, many adults in her position wouldn't have put near so much effort into the gift as she was investing…actually most probably wouldn't have agreed to the party period. Here, however, was his Bones, unwilling to grab the first mass-produced hot seller, trying to ensure that his son got something with some depth to it. She started towards a ridiculously large box in the corner.

"Bones" Booth cautioned. "Remember the deal…something small."

She continued towards the box, effectively ignoring him. He groaned and removed himself from the wall to intercept her. She switched from ignoring to rationalizing.

"You know Booth, size is completely relative."

"Yeah…and that gift is relatively huge." He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and spun her around to face the shelves behind her. "How about we look over here?" The boxes on this side of the aisle were much closer to the range he could let her choose from in good conscience.

"I don't understand what the issue is." She picked up a package from his side of the aisle and began inspecting it. "You certainly spent more than that on his gifts."

"Well, _I _didn't make any promises on spending limits before we came out here…Besides I'm his dad, it's kinda my job."

Temperance knew better than to continue any criticism when his parental skills or rights were brought into question. As much as he tried to hide it she knew how deep his insecurities ran when it came to fatherhood. Instead, she held up the box she'd been studying for him to see. A grin spread across his face.

"That is _perfect, _Bones!"

"You think he'll like it?" She was still unsure.

"Oh, he'll love it!" Booth encouraged. "…. You know what?" He looked up at her. "Even _I_ want this." He flipped the box over to see the rest of the package.

Temperance rolled her eyes at his juvenile excitement. She let a hint of a light-hearted threat creep into her voice. "I'm sure that Sweets would have something to say about your enthusiasm right now….developmental stages or something…"

Booth's dark eyes flashed up to hers immediately. "Sweets," He began menacingly. "will have _nothing_ to say about this, because he doesn't get to find out about this, okay?" The last thing Sweets needed was more ammo to bring up at his convenience. "Besides...I doubt there's much he could say, the kid probably has a platinum membership here."

Temperance's retort was cut off by the announcement system reminding the shoppers of the impending closing time. Booth glanced at his watch for confirmation and began ushering her to the cash register at the exit. Their progress was a bit halted as she continued to stop to inspect one toy or another. At the fifth stop Booth started getting a bit antsy.

"Bones!" Booth groaned. "Just because you don't want to go home at the end of the work day doesn't mean other people don't." He wasn't making any effort to conceal his impatience. He motioned towards the tills where a few teenagers in store aprons stood expectantly.

Glaring at her partner she hastily grabbed another building set from the shelf in front of her and allowed herself to be steered to the checkout. She placed the toys she'd selected on the counter and paid quickly, mindful of Booth's comment on the employees' wishes. After the cashier handed her the receipt Booth grabbed the bags and the two swiftly made their way back through the now deserted mall and to their parking spot. As Booth piled their bags into the back of the car he smiled at Brennan.

"See, I told you that you'd find him something on your own."

"You helped me find them."

Booth just shook his head. She chose to invest her modesty in the strangest places sometimes.

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**A.N. There we go, it was a bit longer than chapter one, and hopefully as coherent! As always, please review; even a quick word or two is great. If you have any suggestions or ideas feel free to leave them or email me. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any of the characters/settings , nor am I making any money from any of this. **

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Booth fidgeted impatiently as his partner flipped open what seemed like the hundredth birthday card she'd read in the store. From where he stood it looked just as acceptable as the previous ninety-nine had.

Brennan finally seemed to register his irritation. Her eyes flitted briefly from the card in her hand to him.

"I don't want Parker to think I'm being disingenuous." She explained.

"Bones," Pleading crept into his already impatient tone. "I doubt he even knows what that means."

"It's not really the semantics I'm worried about as much as the sentiment."

Booth groaned inwardly. She was taking this way too seriously.

"He is a six-year-old boy, Bones. H-"

"Almost seven." She interjected matter-of-factly.

"Fine." He set his jaw and continued. "An almost seven-year-old boy. Regardless, the only reason he even bothers to open the cards is that Rebecca makes him. Yeah, maybe it's cool if there's a racecar on the card…but what's even cooler is whatever happens to be in the wrapping paper _under_ the card."

She fixed him with a stare.

"That's your opinion."

"That's a _MAN's _opinion." He countered.

"Well, fortunately Parker has hardly had the opportunity to pass any of the significant milestones that would grant him the status of "man" in our society. So your outlook really carries no importance to his." She turned back to the card rack ahead of her as if that settled the issue.

Booth closed his eyes for a moment and regained his composure before continuing.

"Bones, all I'm saying is that you are making way more of this than you have to…and there are so many better ways I can think of to be spending our lunch break. Starting with, I dunno…maybe eating lunch?" His sarcasm was punctuated by a well-timed growl from his stomach.

She sighed. "If you're so hungry you can just head out yourself. I'll meet you later."

"No Bones, you won't. You're going to stand here and shuffle through all these until I end up having to come back for you." He of all people knew how much focus she could dedicate to a single task.

"Perhaps my progress would be quicker if I was able to concentrate fully." Temperance replied critically. "You're very edgy today…it's interfering with my attentiveness."

"I'm not _edgy_. I'm _hungry_!"

"Booth, to some people the card is a very important part of gift-giving…it can set the tone for the whole process. Besides, aren't you the one who's always telling me to use my heart as well as my brain?"

"I'm also the one who tells you to trust my gut…" He motioned towards his midsection. "and right now my gut is starving!"

She rolled her eyes and then focused them once again on the bright paper products lining the walls. "Just a few more minutes." She promised.

Booth slumped against a nearby wall. The first few times he'd seen her select a card and carefully examine it before finding some reason to reject it had been endearing to see, cute even. After all, he'd seen her struggle in the past to grasp so many social concepts that fell outside of her realm of experience; he had to give her credit for wanting to do this right. But as time had dragged on, and his hasty breakfast became further and further away the amount of cards she studied became much less charming…and far more annoying. He had seen people purchase houses with less research and consideration than this.

Temperance was now contentedly flipping through a series of pop-up cards.

A movement in his peripheral vision caught Seeley's attention. He threw his head back in exasperation as he saw one of the staff members emerge from the back room with a box of fresh stock. He bitterly cursed whoever had decided there weren't enough cards out already.

The clerk walked past him and dropped the box off to the side. Booth saw Brennan's eyes light up at the prospect of new candidates, but his eyes lit even more when the side of the box proclaimed the contents to be "Sympathy Cards – Various". He had never been more thankful for mankind's mortality than at that moment.

Finally Brennan reached the end of the aisle and turned her attention to a few cards she held in her hand as the most promising candidates. She carefully reread each of them, deposited the rejects back into their slots, and with more than a hint of pride walked back to Booth with her chosen card.

"Okay." She beamed at having completed her task. Booth couldn't help but return the smile. "What do you think of this?" She presented the card she had chosen to him eagerly.

"I think it's perfect." He stated.

"Really?" She pressed.

"Yeah, I mean it's funny, it's age-appropriate, it's got pirates. Parker's going to really like it."

"You think so?"

"Yes…" his tone then took a complete turn. "Which is exactly why it's the one I picked out half an hour ago!" He finished his response incredulously and brought the identical copy in his own hand up to her eye-level, his dark eyes boring into hers with frustration.

"What?" She grabbed his card and held it beside hers. She glared at him disbelievingly. Finally she thrust his copy back and him and began to turn back towards the shelves.

"Whoa!" He grabbed her elbow and wheeled her back to face him. "No. No way are you starting this again…not unless you're planning to turn this lunch break into a sick day or something."

"But it seems a bit indecorous to-"

"You know what? I will just put mine back Bones. I can find another one tomorrow."

"That hardly seems fair…I can just get the one that was my second choice, it was right here" She shrugged out of his grasp and swapped out her card for another.

"There!" She handed him the new selection with another expectant smile.

Booth took the card from her and thumbed it open. Temperance waited tentatively for his reaction, and her smile faltered when his expression soured.

"What? What's wrong with it?" She was slightly confused. It had seemed an appropriate choice.

"Nothing." He answered, still studying the paper in his hand. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with it." A small pout formed at his mouth.

Brennan threw a confused glace from her partner to the card and back. His reaction seemed to contradict his assessment.

He brandished her new choice in the air. "This is so much better than mine!" he complained loudly.

The smile returned to Brennan's face at full force. "See?" She taunted. "That's why it's important to do careful research." She attempted to grab her card from Booth. He quickly jerked his hand away so it was out of her reach.

"You know Bones…" He began his overly nice tones immediately recognizable to his partner. She could tell he was trying to placate her for whatever was coming next. "This card" he indicated hers that he still held just beyond her reach. "was only your second choice…." Booth sort of sneered at the mention of the second place ranking. " …and I am nothing, if not a gentleman. So I am willing to, once again, offer you your first choice card." He offered her his pirate pun card, a cheesy imitation of his charm smile in place attempting to coerce her.

"Booth…" She mimicked his sickly sweet tone. "I appreciate the gesture, but I just couldn't let you do that." She leaned across his arm and grabbed her card from his hands. The sparkle in his eyes died a bit as he realized she wasn't falling for his ploy. "You know…" She continued as she began to make her way towards the counter. "…no changies…no take-backs" She smiled triumphantly as she turned to pay for the card.

Booth smirked at her back, and crossed the aisle to join her at the till. "Fine, no take-backs…." He handed the teller a few bills to pay for his own card. "…but I'm still starving, how about some take-_out_?"

The cashier returned his change, and the partners headed out the door.

"Takeout sounds good… but I get to choose the restaurant." She baited him. "I think we've proven my taste is superior."

Seeley rolled his eyes…hopefully she didn't need as much time to sort through menus as she had the cards.

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**A.N.: Just a short chapter to let you all know that I didn't abandon the story. I'm so sorry! I've just been suffering from a bout of writer's block. Hopefully you haven't all forgotten about this story….reviews let me know it's worth my time (or yours!) *nudge*. (Pretty please?). **

**As always please leave any suggestions in a review or pm.**


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